


My missing half

by queen_ypolita



Category: Fire from Heaven - Mary Renault
Genre: Community: trope_bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-30
Updated: 2013-10-30
Packaged: 2017-12-31 00:00:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1024932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_ypolita/pseuds/queen_ypolita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's snowing. Hephaistion reads to Alexander.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My missing half

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the free space on my trope_bingo card: I picked snowed in as my free choice.

It had been snowing heavily all day, and the young men were scattered around the house in small groups, huddled in cloaks and furs, talking, reading, or playing dice whilst the servants were bustling to keep the fires going and cooking warming hearty meals. 

Alexander had spent a couple of hours taking stock of dried plants and herbs with Aristotle in the store room. They were finished for the day now: the store room was too cold in the winter to work effectively for much longer than that. Aristotle had retreated over to his desk to warm up again and write some letters to his friends. Left to his own devices, Alexander selected a scroll of Plato's writings half at random, and went to find Hephaistion. 

They sat down by a window, huddled under Hephaistion's heavy warm cloak that his mother had recently sent over. Alexander handed him the scroll, and leant against him lightly. 

"Read something for me, I've been looking at plant labels long enough that everything is just a blur."

Hephaistion took the scroll

"Where do you want me to start?" he asked, opening the scroll. 

"Anywhere, I just want to listen to you reading."

Hephaistion unwound the scroll, reading a little here and there until he found a good place to start. 

"This is Aristophanes talking about love, I think you'll enjoy it," he said, and started reading. 

It wasn't a serious speech, which was why it had caught his eye, he knew Alexander and felt that he needed some light relief right now, something to take his mind off the poisonous mix of speculation and gossip in his mother's letters. He didn't expect the story to make his heart clench in recognition the way it did. He faltered, and made to start again, but he realised he wasn't the only one moved by it: Alexander burrowed closer to him, something he rarely did, not even during the recent bitingly cold nights when they were sharing a bed to share warmth. 

"You're not just my Patroklos," Alexander said quietly, "you're my missing other half too. You're Alexander, too, and I'm Hephaistion."

"I know, Alexander, I was just thinking the same."

He found his place again and continued from where he had faltered. He had finished Aristophanes's speech and moved on to Agathon's when Alexander spoke up suddenly. 

"I'm glad I found you. I feel more whole now."

Hephaistion put the scroll down, and pulled him closer and let his arm rest across Alexander's shoulders. 

"I'm glad too, I feel the same." 

"We are going to be able to do so much, because we're together."

"I know." And he remembered the summer day out on the palace roof when he'd literally held Alexander's life in his hands. This moment felt significant in the same way: Alexander was capable of so much and had set his goals so high, but he needed Hephaistion to be there too, wanted Hephaistion to be part of it too. And nothing, Hephaistion thought, not for the first time, was worth more than that.


End file.
